Harry Redknapp hopes Wednesday night's 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory over Chelsea will enable QPR to attract players in the transfer window after expressing his disappointment at missing out on Joe Cole.

Shaun Wright-Phillips fired an outstanding 78th-minute winner against his former club as Rangers secured their first triumph at Stamford Bridge in three decades. Redknapp believes new signings are required if QPR, who remain at the foot of the table on goal difference, are to escape relegation.

Liverpool playmaker Cole topped Redknapp's wish list but the 31-year-old has opted to return to boyhood club West Ham, according to the Rangers boss. "If I can improve the squad in the window it will give us a chance. This win is very important for us when it comes to signing players," Redknapp said.

He added: "They might think that now we do have a chance and it would be nice to try and help us get out of this mess and achieve something. Let's be up for the challenge.

"I lost Joe who would have been my first signing. He probably looked here and thought 'Harry I love you but you're not going to stay up'. I like Joe and he would have been good for me. He's West Ham and they love him there. I thought he was coming for sure but West Ham came in today."

The three points has invigorated QPR's battle against relegation and was the perfect response to their 3-0 surrender to Liverpool at Loftus Road last Sunday. Only goal difference separates them from 19th-placed Reading while they remain five points away from safety.

Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez rested Ramires, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard on the bench but still created more than enough chances to win a fifth successive match. The Spaniard insists his rotation policy was justified given the club's heavy workload.

"We were tired and weren't precise. We made a mistake and gave them their chance," Benitez said. "I don't regret the changes because we can't carry on with the same players in every game. If you're playing a team at the bottom of the table at home, you have to trust your players and I trust them."

Benitez admitted Fernando Torres, Chelsea's only striker, needed a rest but refused to elaborate on the club's pursuit of Demba Ba after Newcastle revealed their £7million striker is having talks at Stamford Bridge.

"I don't have any official information about the situation. Officially he's not our player," he said. "The club is working and hopefully we can see someone soon. Then we can talk about the player. If we can do the business quickly hopefully he'll be available for the weekend, but we can't say too much."